Automatic coupling-pipe for steam-heating systems for railway-cars



2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(No Model.)

E. SAVAGE.

AUTOMATIC GOUPLING PIPE FOR STEAM HEATING SYSTEMS POR RAILWAY GARS.

'mz News rusas col, momixmo.. msmwcrou, u4 c4 (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. E. SAVAGE.

AUTOMATICy GOUPLING- PIPE FOR STEAM HEAING SYSTEMS FOR RAILWAY GARS.

N0.437,908. Pate e 0Gt.7,189o.

y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDMUND SAVAGE, OF ALBANY, NEV YORK.

AUTOMATIC COUPLING-PIPE FOR STEAM-HEATING SYSTEMS FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 487,908, dated October '7, 1890.'

Application tiled April 2, 1890. Serial No. 346,275. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, EDMUND SAVAGE, of

.the city and county of Albany, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Coupling-Pipes for Steam-Heating Systems for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in coupling-pipes for conveying steam through a train of railway-cars forthe purpose of heating the latter; and the object of my invention is to provide means for automatically connecting and disconnecting the steam-pipes for supplying steam to a steam-heating system of a train of railwaycars and for controlling the admission and exclusion of steam thereto simultaneously with the operation of coupling and uncoupling the cars which form said train. This object I attain by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which is herein referred to and forms part of this speciiication, and in whichA Figure l is a side elevation of the couplingpipes of the conjoining ends of two railwaycars when in a disconnected condition. Fig. 2 is alike elevation of the same when the cars are coupled together. Fig. 3 is a plan view of one of said coupling-pipes, the carcoupler being removed to expose the underlying parts. Fig. et is a vertical section of the latter at the line X X. Fig. 5 is an end elevation of one of said coupling-pipes. Fig. G is a transverse section of Fig. 1 at the line Y Y, a portion of the bracket for holding the coupling-pipe being shown in elevation; and Fig. 7 is an enlarged side elevation of a portion of the parts shown in Fig. 1.

To effect the object above named, my in-V vention consists in providing the outer end of each coupling-pipe with a head whose outer face is a flat vertical plane provided with a mortise and a corresponding dowel or tongue, which are so arranged that when two of said heads are brought face to face into close contact the tongue of one will engage in the mortise of the other to produce an interlocking engagement of the two, the said heads being retained in close contact with each other by means of the car-couplers by which the cars of the train are connected together and by means of compressible springs,

which are attached to each of said couplingi es' and m invention further consists in P y Y the operations of connecting and disconnecting the cars will automatically eiect the opening and closing movements of said cock or valve in a corresponding manner.

As represented in the drawings, A indicates the lower part of a railway-car provided with bumpers l of any ordinary construction and having couplers 2, preferably ot the usual form of interlocking hook, by which the operation of coupling is eitected by bringing the cars together with a moderate degree of force. Said car-coupling mechanism forms no part of my present invention, and I do not limit myself to this precise form.

3 is a coupling-pipe for conveying steam from one car to another in a train of railwayi cars, said pipes being adapted for coupling togetherl to form a continuous system for supplying steam to the steam-heating apparatus of a train of railway-cars. Said coupling-pipe is arranged in correspondence with the center line of the car, so that conjoining sections of said pipes will range in line with each other. The outer end of each coupling-pipe is provided with a head 4, which is connected thereto by a joint 5, which will permit said head to be deflected sidewise, so as to allow the cars to travel on curved tracks. Said head is made with a ilat vertical face, and is provided with a central opening 6, which contains a projecting semi-annular lange 7, that is fitted to enter the central opening of a conjoining head of the same form, and therein it will join with a like flange to form a tubular break-joint for preventing the escape of steam through the joint between the two heads. The central opening 6 corresponds to the bore of the coupling-pipe 3, so that when two heads are in contact a connection of the steam-pipes of the conjoining cars is formed. In the outer face of the head a mortise S of any suitable formis made near one side of the central opening 6, and diametrically opposite to said mortise on the outer face of said head there is a projecting tongue 9, of a form which corresponds to said mortise and whose outer part is tapered to IOO facilitate the engagement of the tongue in the mortise of a head that is to be conjoined thereto, and said mortises and tongues are so arranged that when two heads are brought into interlocking contact the central openings of both will be in perfect accord. The joint 5 is formed of two similar parts that are joined horizontally, one of said parts being provided with an annular iiange which is fitted into the vertical opening of the other part, so as to form a break-joint for preventing the escape of steam. The two parts of said joint are held in close contact with each other by means of set-bolts 10 or other suitable means, which, being centered to correspond to the center of motion of said joint, will permit the latter to be flexed sidewise.

The coupling-pipe 3 is fitted to freely slide endwise in a supporting-block 11, which is carriedfin a hanger 12, which depends fromv the bottom of the car, the inner end of said coupling-pipe being provided with iiexible joints, as hereinafter described, which will allow said pipe to slide endwise in said supporting-block. The latter is provided with radial Arods 13, which pass through slotted openings in said hanger, whereby freedom is afforded to said block to move vertically and laterally to suit any variable motion of the coupling-pipes that may be produced by the motion of the cars. A spring 14 is provided for each radial rod 13, and is` interposed between the sides of the supporting-block and the opening of the hanger for the purpose of normally holding' the coupling-pipe in a central position, said springsl being adapted to yield when a strain is thrown upon the coupling-pipe to move it in a transverse direction, either vertically or sidewise. The supportingblock 11 is provided with a rearwardly-extending yoke 15, whereby the coupling-pipe is maintainedin a level position during its vertical movements and which forms an abutment for a spiral spring 16, that encircles the coupling-pipe 3and the latter is provided with a collar-17 to receive the pressure of said spring, which operates to force said pipe endwise. The coupling-pipe 3 is also provided with a stopcock 18, which is normally retained in a closed position by means of a spring 19. Said stopcock is provided with. a lever 20, which when the coupling-pipe is pushed inwardly as in the operation of coupling the cars, takes against an arm 21, projecting from the face of the supporting-block appropriated to the coupling-pipe in which said stop-cock is located, and thereby said stop-cock is automatically thrown open, and is retained in its open position by said arm during the time the cars remain coupled together.

The inner end of each coupling-pipeis provided with a joint-piece 22, which is jointed to said pipe by a transverse pivot l23, which `will allow said joint-piece to swing in a vertical plane. A second j oint-piece 24 isj ointed by a4 horizontal pivot 25 to the swinging end of the first joint-piece, the second joint-piece ybeing dependent from the side of the iirst.

Thelower end of said second joint-piece i's jointed by means of a horizontal pivot 26 to a third joint-piece 27, which ranges longitudinally, and the latter is jointed by a vertical pivot 28 to an elbow 29, attached to thelower end of a vertical steam-pipe 30, which passes up through the bottom of the car to convey the steam to the heating apparatus. The j oint-pieces 22, 24, and 27 and the elbow 29 are all bored to form a continuous communication from the coupling-pipe 3 to the steampipe 30, and said j oint-pieces render said co mmunication of sufficient flexibility to permit the operation of effecting the coupling of the the coupling-pipes 3 to be pushed inwardly in cars and the connecting of the coupling-pipes in the manner hereinbefore set forth.

The order of arranging the joint-pieces above set forth need not be strictly observed to produce the same effect, for it is obvious that the iirst joint-piece may be articulated to the inner end of the coupling-pipe so-as to swing in a horizontal plane, the thi-rd jointpiece, being jointed to the elbow 29 so as to swing in a vertical plane. When preferred,

' the spring 19 may be omitted from the stopcock 18, and in such cases the closing movement of the latter will be effected by hand, but the opening movement of the same should be effected automatically, as herein described.

In the operation of coupling cars to form a train, when said carsy are provided with my invention, the heads 4 of the cars tol becon- IOO joined will be brought into contact with each other before the couplers 2 of said' cars become interlocked, and after said couplers are fully engaged said heads will be retained in being separated.

I am aware that automatic stop-cocks haveheretofore been employed in coupling-pipes for railway-cars in such manner that the opening movement of a stop-cock attached to one car has been effected by a device attached to a conjoining car, the coupling devices for said coupling-pipes being of different construction on the opposite ends of the same car; but when so constructed it is necessary that the cars mustbe arranged so that the two unlike ends of the cars to be coupled will be brought together in order to effect the coupling. Thereby much confusion and a consequent loss of time to get the cars in proper position is produced; but by my invention both ends of a car are provided with the same form of coupling. Therefore it is immaterial which end of the car is presented to a conjoining car, and the opening movement of the stop-cock is effected by a device on the cor- IIO I I i responding end of the same carto which said stop-cock is attached. I do not claim said earlier construction; but

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination, With a coupling-pipe 3, having a head 4 articulated thereto in such manner that said head can be flexed sidewise, said head having a central opening that is concentric with said pipe, a semi-annular flange 7, that is fitted to enter the central opening of a conjoining head of like construction so as to form,in conjunction with a like flange of said conjoining head, a tubular break-joint for the two heads, each of the latter being provided With a mortise 8, and a projecting tongue 9, whereby said heads will be guided into interlocking positions with each other, of a car coupling mechanism, whereby the heads 4 of conjoining cars are retained in positive contact with each other, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of a coupling-pipe providedwithacoupling-headwhichisarticulated thereto, said head having a central opening that contains a projecting semi-annularan ge, and said head also having a inortise and a corresponding projecting tongue, a hanger pro vided with a supporting-block in which said coupling-pipe is fitted to slide endwise, said Supporting-block having a rearwardly-projecting yoke for retaining the coupling-pipe in a level position, oppositely-located springs interposed between the edges of said supporting-block on the sides of the opening in said hanger for the purpose of centralizing said coupling-pipe, and a compressible spring interposed between the end of said yoke, and a collar secured to said coupling-pipe for the purpose of pushing said pipe outwardly beyond the end of the car, substantially as specified.

3. The combination of a coupling-pipe it ted to receive an endwise movement and provided With a stop-cock, Whose turn-plug is provided With an operating-lever, andan arm or spur fixed to the corresponding end of the saine car and adjacently to said stop-cock, said spur being held stationary in the path of the movement of said operating-lever in such manner that when said coupling-pipe is pushed inwardly said operating-lever Will take against said spur and thereby automatically effect the opening movement of said stop-cock, substantially as specified.

EDMUND SAVAGE.

Witnesses:

WM. H. LOW, S. B. BREWER. 

